A Cold Winter's Day
by ReinaEntreLeones
Summary: There are few people in the world who will stand up to those more powerful than them in the name of love. When one does come across two like this, it will likely never happen again. These are two such people, and this is their story. A Draco/Hermione Fic
1. Prolouge

He searched around wildly, looking for an escape. I will not die! he thought to himself with ferocity. He looked towards the door, only to realize that it was being unlocked.  
  
"Ah," said a slippery voice. "I see we are trying to escape."  
  
Draco stopped searching the room with his eyes. His gaze locked with that of the abomination he was supposed to call a father. The very thought was poison in his mind.  
  
"Good evening, Father," he spat, his disgust almost tangible. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"  
  
A glare crossed Lucius Malfoy's face. He threw his son onto the floor. "Don't toy with me, boy. I can see into your mind. You like that filthy Mudblood brat, don't you? And she doesn't even know it!" He laughed viciously.  
  
"No," he said.  
  
"You defy what I say?"  
  
"Yes. She is not a Mudblood and I do not like her. I love her," Draco stated with conviction.  
  
Lucius smiled evilly. "Well, I'm sure I can take care of that. You, my dear boy, are to become the greatest Death Eater of our time and we cannot have that brat getting in the way of your success."  
  
"I do not wish to become a Death Eater, and you will do nothing to harm her."  
  
"It's a good thing I am skilled in dealing with difficult people. I had hoped you would be smart enough to see reason. Imperio!"  
  
Draco had been anticipating this. He was not going to give up his life and his love this easily. He ducked out of the way. Lucius was totally enraged at this point. He drew a small dagger from a sheath near his ankle. In a panic, Draco started running to avoid him. Lucius began to try and corner him. Then, as if in slow motion, the older man tripped and fell. He did not get up. Draco approached cautiously.  
  
Suddenly, Lucius looked up at him. Draco backed away as he rolled over. The dagger in his chest was now clearly visible.  
  
"The Dark Lord will have you, my son, and you will live to see her die."  
  
And with those words, Lucius Malfoy, the most cunning Death Eater of the century, was dead by his own hand.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
There are few people in the world who will stand up to those more powerful than them in the name of love. When one does come across two like this, it should be a celebrated time, for it will likely never happen again. These are two such people, and this is their story.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A/N: anyone who know how to do the paragraphs plz post the info id greatly appreciate it 


	2. Glares and Chatter

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A fire on a cold winter's day would warm the hearts of many. But this fire caused him only pain. For this fire was a girl, whom he wanted but could not have. She sat laughing with her friends, looking at him only to give him glares that made him feel base and depraved. And to her, that is what he was.  
  
The cold winter's day looked over at this girl. Having been caught, she quickly gave a glare that was filled with disgust. She hoped. The glares were all fake, but not even the false fiery intensity of them could melt the ice shield that was ever-present in his eyes. She wanted to make sure she would not be caught having these thoughts, especially not Ron. She was afraid he would be terrifically angry with her if he found out.  
  
It would turn out, however, that saying Ron would be angry would be the understatement of the century. Ron was watching this exchange, and unlike Malfoy, he was not fooled by the fake glares given by Hermione. Without warning, and much to the bewilderment of the rest of the library, Ron grabbed her wrist and more or less dragged her out of the room.  
  
"What is going on?" he said slowly and deliberately, barely concealing the anger in his voice.  
  
Hermione looked quite confused. Then, though she tried to hide it, a look of comprehension passed across her face when she realized Ron must have seen her looking at Draco. She cursed herself mentally. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I believe you know exactly what I'm talking about. I saw you watching Malfoy like a hawk!"  
  
Hermione paled. Suddenly, inspiration came. "I'm exceedingly vexed with that ferret for something he said to me in the hall," she lied easily, much to her surprise. "Ron, if you don't mind I would really rather not talk about it."  
  
He was still slightly suspicious, but had no reason to think she was lying. After all, how many countless times had that bloody git said something offensive to Hermione that he should be disemboweled for? He was also not as focused as he could've been, for he was very worried about an upcoming Quidditch match, the first in the season. So, he let it lie.  
  
"All right, then," he said, with only slight hesitation.  
  
Hermione smiled. "C'mon. Let's go find Harry and see if we can't get down to the kitchens for some food."  
  
"Mmmm. Chocolate eclairs.....treacle fudge......custard creams....."  
  
The list went on and on as he and Hermione set off in search off Harry.  
  
Oh, dear, she thought. That was a close call.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A few hours later found Hermione lying in the seventh year girls' dormitory, hardly listening to the mindless chatter of Parvati and Lavender. Why she still came up here was a mystery to all. After all, she had a perfectly good private common room, as she was Head Girl. Well, almost private. The Head Boy also shared the room. And who was Head Boy? None other than Draco Malfoy. So perhaps it wasn't so much of a mystery that she came here, even if why she avoided him was for different reasons than people thought. But, here she was, being put to sleep by the babble.  
  
"Hermione? HERMIONE!" Lavender was shouting.  
  
Startled out of her musings, she fell off the bed she had been lying on in a rather violent and fightening manner. "What?" Hermione asked, somewhat annoyed.  
  
"We were just wondering if you would like to go down to dinner with us now."  
  
"Hmmm, what? Oh, no thank you. I'll be down later."  
  
"All right," said Parvati. "See ya down there."  
  
"She's in love," Lavender whispered. "I can tell."  
  
"Yeah, but with who?"  
  
"My guess is Ron," Lavender said unhappily.  
  
"Don't worry, Lav, I'm sure that's not it."  
  
The girls quickly switched to other topics as they made their way down to the Great Hall, but neither could help wondering just who was the object of know-it-all Hermione's affections.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Draco was rather annoyed with himself. He could no longer use his father's presence as an excuse to stay away from Hermione. But, she despised him, and he was still a Slytherin. It was much too dangerous. He knew that the Dark Lord would do almost anything to get him back, and many in the Slytherin house had families that were involved in his inner circle.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
He was absently staring at the fire while he was thinking all this, and he failed to notice Hermione enter the Heads' common room. She stood there, watching him for a moment, totally lost in her mind. The fire was reflected in those pools of silver, but did not appear to warm them. A popping log startled her out of her silent reflection and she slowly made her way up the stairs to her room.  
  
She had been laying in bed for a while without moving, just thinking. Damn him. Why does he have to be so handsome? She wanted to hit herself. A Mudblood in love with a Malfoy. The idea is laughable. But she wondered, if it was so laughable why wasn't she laughing?  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Unbeknownst to Hermione, Draco was in his own room wondering the same thing. he thought of how beautiful she looked now that she had filled out and lost the bushiness in her hair. But, he also loved the way she was so direct when she was talking, how she bit her lip when she was nervous or worried. Most of all, he loved her eyes. He felt like drowning in their warmth every time he saw them. He wanted to make their owner his.  
  
He glanced fleetingly at the lavish green and silver decoration in his room. His four-poster bed was made of a dark wood, so dark it was almost black, and it had green and silver shimmering hangings which could be drawn around it for privacy. Serpents and dragons adorned the walls in the same shades as the bed. But, there was one spot in his room in which he kept something very dear to him. It was just barely hidden behind a Quidditch trophy; if you looked close enough you could see a flash of red and gold. It was a picture frame of his mother's, who had been in Gryffindor, much to the chagrin of his father. In it was a picture of Hermione from the previous year, when she had found out she was becoming Head Girl. He had obtained the picture from some dolt in her house, what was his name? Neville something?  
  
Draco sighed. One day, I will tell her how I feel. Now the only question was when that day would be.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: Ok so thats the first chapter. sorry it's so short, I promise ill work on that. Please review and tell me how you like it. I kno right now it sounds kinda cliche, but c'mon its my first fic gimme a break. anyhow, flames are very welcome just make sure they're constructive and i'll be thrilled if I get 10 reviews :)  
  
A/N2: I don't know when i'll have the second chapter up cause I havent even started it yet :-\ im one of those people who just sits at a computer and writes I dont really like to brainstorm. anyways ill try to get it up by next Friday maybe the Monday after that. I don't know where this story is going either so don't ask me. 


	3. Hogsmeade and The Weasley Twins

A/N: ok guys this is the second chapter and im so excited!!!! Special thanks to CrazyGirl47, my first ever reviewer!!!! and in response to Dezolation's comment : I tried to indent but it didn't work and I'm really bad at html so I don't wanna screw it up. Anyways, enjoi :-D  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Awww, is our ickle brother Ronniekins being a pansy?"  
  
It was a month into school and the first Hogsmeade weekend. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione had gone into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to visit Fred and George. Remembering the canary cream incident, Neville had decided to stay away. Ron also remembered the incident, and was now protesting vehemently against eating one of the twins' new creations.  
  
"No, I just don't want to end up being a large animal or having a huge tongue like that prat, Dudley!" Ron shouted.  
  
"Hold him down, Fred," said George.  
  
It was at this point that Harry decided to step in. Hermione and Ginny would've done the same, but they were much too busy laughing at Ron.  
  
"FRED! GEORGE! There are plenty of innocent people who aren't related to you that you could experiment on," he said. Within moments Harry was on the floor having a tart shoved down his throat. It turned out that this was the newest in a line of shape-changing snacks. He had been turned into something that slightly resembled a large rat, but was roughly the size and shape of an ostrich.  
  
"Hmmm, still haven't got that one right..."  
  
Hermione, Ginny, and Ron were now in tears they were laughing so hard. Little did they know that someone was watching through the window with envy.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Draco turned and started to walk away when he heard the shop door being to open. He had little time to find a spot to hide and there was no way he could just be seen running through the streets. After all, he thought, I still have my dignity.  
  
He heard the chatter and started to walk away when he realized that he'd been facing the wrong direction and was now being stared at with four pairs of eyes. And hers. Her eyes were looking at him, not in hatred, but in...what?  
  
"Well, if it isn't the slimy Slytherin," Ron said.  
  
Her eyes were watching him. Somehow, he could not force himself to think of a comeback. "Yes," he said, breathless.  
  
The Gryffindors were watching him in a rather peculiar manner. Harry and Ron started to inch in front of the girls.  
  
"You think he's on drugs?" Ron whispered to Harry.  
  
"No, he can't be." Harry sounded unsure.  
  
Malfoy continued to stand there, seemingly in a trance.  
  
Hermione was watching him over Ron's shoulder. He appeared to be looking at her and she was drowing in his beautiful eyes. A breeze had picked up and was slightly ruffling his platinum blonde hair, making him look even more handsome. They were both lost. Abruptly, Ron started speaking.  
  
"If you're not going to say anything just sod off, Malfoy."  
  
Much to their surprise, he didn't say anything. He swiftly turned around, his cloak swishing in a slightly melodramatic fashion, and walked away from them.  
  
The majority of the group just shrugged it off and started talking again, but Hermione had been a bit shaken by the encounter. She had seen something in those pools of liquid silver, and she intended to find out what it was. The feeling of confusion in her mind was too great for her not to.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N2: Sorry it's so short...I'll try to have the next chapter out sooner. ddz008, i'm American and i'm just learning to speak it so I usually get the translation all screwed up it was supposed to mean queen among lions but oh well...i'm really really sorry if I offended..Also thanks to envision, kgiilrlleyr, and xing@fanfiction.net. 


	4. The Library And The Common Room

A/N : Again, I'm sorry about the length of the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one..here goes.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The library. It was Hermione's heaven on Earth. Ron and Harry were off at Quidditch practice and Malfoy was usually in their common room at this time of night, so she had decided to go to her sanctuary.  
  
She made her way to the back table which was unofficially hers. Madam Pince knew how much she liked it, and did her best to keep it available.  
  
Hermione settled down and tried to decide what subject she would complete first. I'll do charms, she thought. That's always relaxing. As she tucked into the work ahead of her the rest of the library faded away.  
  
After an hour she completed the relatively easy (but unbelievably tedious) assignment. She decided to do her Transfiguration essay. She was about halfway through when she realized she needed a book she didn't have in her immediate vicinity.  
  
As she was searching through the shelves, she had the persistent feeling that she was being watched, and kept looking around to assure herself that no one was there. The third time Hermione did this, she found herself looking into a distinctly familiar pair of eyes.  
  
"Draco." She mentally cursed herself. Ahhh, I should've called him Malfoy!  
  
He looked as surprised as she felt. "Since when do you know my name?"  
  
Hermione was at a total loss for words. She just stood there, gaping. His eyes were hypnotic and she couldn't look away. Neither could he.  
  
"I.......uh......I........was........book.......Transfiguration........," she stammered.  
  
Draco, while not at such an embarrassing loss for words, was trying to keep himself from doing anything that could be considered--shall we say-- unwise. He lifted a finger up to her lips to silence her.  
  
"Why don't we just leave it at that."  
  
And with that, he swept away, thankful that he had not acted unwisely; but, as Hermione had been days earlier and still was, he was confused by the look he had seen in her eyes.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* One Week Later *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"So, there I was, up in the air, all alone, and then, out of nowhere, comes this rouge bludger! If it wasn't for my excellent flying skills, I would've been totaled!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
Ron was going on and on about his latest Quidditch conquest. Saying Hermione was bored to tears would be a dishonor to the phrase bored to tears. She was practically dying from the lack of intellect involved in Ron's story.  
  
"I think I'll go back to my common room," she interrupted.  
  
"But, I was just getting to the good part!" Ron objected.  
  
"Yes, well, I do have some homework left to do. I'm dreadfully sorry."  
  
With that, she nearly ran from the common room toward her own (mostly) private quarters. She silently hoped that Draco wouldn't be in the sitting room as she gave the password to the portrait of the founders that hid the entrance. So far, she had not seen him alone since the incident in the library a week ago.  
  
"I see we've finally decided to return to our quarters," drawled that oh-so familiar voice.  
  
Damn.  
  
"Hello, Malfoy," she sighed resignedly.  
  
"What's this? Upset to see me?"  
  
"Really, I'm not in the mood." She started making her way up to her room.  
  
A voice surprisingly close to her ear whispered, "Running away from your problems won't make them go away."  
  
Hermione turned around with a speed that surprised even herself. Malfoy was less than two inches away from her face. She backed up to catch her breath. "What did you say to me?" she queried, although she knew perfectly well what had come out of his mouth.  
  
"Nothing. Nothing important." He smirked, making her more anxious. As soon as he had turned around she fled to her room. She threw herself onto her bed when she arrived, welcoming the comforting softness of her queen-size bed.  
  
What am I going to do?  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* A few moments earlier.... *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Before he knew what he was doing, he'd catapulted himself out of his chair by the fire and whispered in her ear.  
  
"Running away from you problems won't make them go away."  
  
"What did you say to me?" Hermione appeared breathless.  
  
He knew she had heard exactly what he'd said. "Nothing. Nothing important." He gave his trademark smirk for a bit of dramatic effect, and turned around to sit back down. Draco heard he run up the stairs and wondered if she wasn't running to him, in spite of the fact that she was heading in the opposite direction.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Later, as Draco making his way up to his room, he noticed that her door was slightly opened. Unable to resist the urge he peeked in at her.  
  
She was lying on her bed, peacefully asleep. He wondered if it wasn't possible that she was more beautiful when she was asleep. He sighed and made his way down to his room. He opened his door and who should be waiting there but.......  
.......Pansy.  
Damn, how did she get in here?  
  
"Oooooo, Dracy, it's simply lovely in here!" she gushed.  
  
He winced at the nickname.  
  
"What do you want, Parkinson?"  
  
She looked at bit put off by the way he addressed her. But then, that was the point.  
  
"I was just hoping that maybe you'd like to come and sit with me in the Slytherin common room."  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh, come on, it'll be fun!" squealed Pansy.  
  
"Are you deaf? I said no." Draco was rather annoyed.  
  
"Fine. But don't think I won't be back to see you. I'm only leaving now because you must need to work out your frustration over the unfortunate demise of your father."  
  
"GET OUT NOW!"  
  
She left quickly, for a Malfoy who is angry, is a man not to be toyed with.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: yeah, I know, pretty bad....but I felt guilty not posting for so long. Forgive me? Oh. :'-( Again, sorry it's so short but I wanted to get it posted. I'll try to write longer chapters but I have homework and such and my teachers all have sticks up their (expletive deleted) so they like to pile it on. Many thanks to everyone who reviewed. KEEP REVIEWING!!!! ;-) 


	5. I Beg Forgiveness

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: Ohmigosh anyone who's reading this fanfic I am sosososososososososo sorry....I'm a bad girl and I haven't posted.....I have so much homework (im supposed to be doing it right now) and GEPAs coming up and worst of all I HAVE WRITER'S BLOCK......opinions oh what any of ya'll think should happen are gladly welcomed........anyway I just wanted to say sorry and u kno i'm not makin any promises but if I get my ass in gear maybe i'll have another chapter out by the end of the week.....  
  
I Love You All,  
  
ReinaEntreLeones  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 


	6. A Silver and Gold Mystery

A/N: Yay! 19 reviews! *does dance* *falls* *everyone laughs (including strategically placed furniture)* i'll try to make more stuff happen in this chapter. Many thanks to my lovely friend Kim, who got me interested in fanfiction and listened to my nonsensical babbling about this chapter.......Shame on me, not brainstorming first.....anyway....here goes...  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"That can't possibly be the answer!"  
  
Hermione had leveled with herself about Draco and somehow gained the ability to be in the same room as him without passing out. As a result, she now spent much more time in the Heads' common room. The two of them were 'discussing' Arithmancy, discussing meaning arguing about.  
  
"Yes, it is! See right there? That's where you're wrong," Hermione said pointing out his mistake.  
  
"Damn you, Granger," grumbled Draco discontentedly.  
  
He was quite annoyed that he hadn't caught his mistake.  
  
How could he have given her that to work with?  
  
"Well, well, well........it would appear the almighty Malfoy isn't all that invincible."  
  
"At least I'm not a stuck-up know-it-all wannabe."  
  
"Ha! Wannabe? Hardly!"  
  
Through the duration of this argument they had both stood up and were now threatening the hell out of each other with their body language. Unfortunately for their emotions, they were standing very close together. And, more unfortunately, they soon realized this.  
  
When they did, you could have heard a pin drop.......  
  
and the sound of their breathing......  
  
Hermione made motions to sit back down hurriedly (on the other side of the room) when she heard that oh-so-familiar phrase that had been ringing through her head for the past two weeks.  
  
"Running away from your problems won't make them go away."  
  
She turned around only to be melted into his lovely, lovely eyes.  
  
"I wasn't running...."  
  
"And the sky isn't blue, right?" he said sarcastically.  
  
"...and you're not a problem."  
  
"Who said I was talking about me?"  
  
Dammit! she thought. She couldn't believed he'd tricked her into saying that.  
  
"I was merely referring to the fact that you can't accept that you're a wannabe," he claimed craftily.  
  
Still, in spite of his calm demeanor, he was burning up inside. Draco really couldn't take standing this close to her without doing something.  
  
KISS HER! his mind screamed.  
  
He quickly came to a desicion......  
  
.......and turned to sit down.  
  
Draco's mind and body screamed with disappointment. But, he ignored all of that, and continued to talk so Hermione could regain her composure.  
  
They finished their work in a total, complete, and utterly depressing silence.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The next day was to be a Saturday, and Hermione found herself wandering around the school. She had been roving for quite a while when she happened upon a room she had never seen before in her 6-odd years at Hogwarts.  
  
The door was mostly hidden by a tapestry that was a peculiar combination of silver, gold, green, and red; these colors were not often found united in Hogwarts.  
  
At first glance, it would appear as if there was no pattern, as if someone had simply thrown the colors on without a thought. But, the harder she looked at it, the more it seemed like the colors were moving.  
  
When the impression of movement dispersed it had become evident that a silver serpent with green eyes was wrapped around a lion with warmly glowing red eyes.  
  
Seeing this pattern Hermione was struck by the irony of the situation. Here she was thinking a Gryffindor and Slytherin could never be united, and this tapestry clearly disproved that.  
  
Perhaps there's hope after all.  
  
Without a second thought she tried the door. Much to her surprise it opened with out so much as a squeak, unlike most of the doors in Hogwarts.  
  
The door swung open to reveal a room decorated solely in a fantastic vision of silver and gold. There was a fireplace and a small couch, more like a loveseat, in front of it. Although there were no windows the room was very bright, as if some residue of happy, unknown events had stayed to light the room. The walls were covered in dusty frames of silver and gold. If they had once held pictures, one would not be able to tell, for there was no sign that there ever were any.  
  
Hermione was completely breath taken. Who had this place belonged to and why had she been the one to find it? Questions raced through her mind for brief seconds until she was lulled into peace by the aura of the room. She decided without hesitation that this would be her room, her place to relax.  
  
Just before she left, she turned to look back at the room. If she didn't know better, she could've sworn she saw an image of two very familiar people. She shook her head to clear it; when she opened her eyes, the image was gone. Again, the aura of the room overtook her, and she returned to her room with a smile on her face.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
As all this was happening, Draco was in the library completing his weekend homework. He wanted to get it out of the way, so he could enjoy his leisure time.  
  
Still, he and Hermione had been doing their homework together for the past week, and it felt a bit awkward without her there laugh at his mistakes.  
  
Ironic. Me missing having someone laugh at my faults? he mused.  
  
In fact, they had been doing their homework just yesterday when Draco finally worked up the courage to kiss her. Most unfortunately, someone popped his head in at just that second.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hermione!," Ron shouted. "Hermione, it's a Friday. That work isn't due until Monday! Come down to Hagrid's with me and Harry!"  
  
"Damned Weasel...," Draco muttered.  
  
"I guess I could take a break," she said, a bit reluctant to leave her work, "If you don't mind, Draco."  
  
He was too shocked to say anything. It turned out he wouldn't have to.  
  
"Who cares what he thinks? Let's go!" Ron said carelessly.  
  
Without another word, he dragged Hermione from the room.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*End Flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Damned Weasel....," he found himself muttering again.  
  
What in God's green earth am I going to do?  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: Well, there it is....I hope you like it. I probably won't have another chapter out anytime this or next week cause I have GEPA's, which are these bitch-ass standardized tests 8th graders have to take, but I might have another chapter out by the Saturday after that....As always REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW....much love all.... 


	7. A Brief Interlude

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Many years ago*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"We can't do this forever," she said, breaking their kiss.  
  
"Do what?" he questioned curiously.  
  
"Hide from everyone in our little room."  
  
"Well, we certainly can't make it public!"  
  
"I know."  
  
There was silence for several minutes before either made moves to speak again. They knew it couldn't last, but they were so in love.  
  
"Don't worry, there's nearly seven months left to school, we'll figure something out," he reasoned.  
  
"I hope so. I have to get to class now though."  
  
"Oh fine, but don't go letting that Malfoy git put his hands all over you in the hall."  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it, Sirius. Bye now!" She left the room quickly, so as not to be late for Potions.  
  
"I love you, Narcissa," he whispered, as she left their lovely little hide-away.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 


	8. The Room

I feel absolutely horrible. I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in forever, but after the GEPAs I was just all written out. It was almost too hard to complete my schoolwork, let alone this. But, have no fear, cause im back on track and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh, and as always, please review.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
For the past two weeks, Hermione had avoided Draco at all costs. She spent all of her free time in the room, and only returned to her dorm when absolutely had to. Draco, likewise, was pleased to find that he didn't have to deal such silly things as emotions when she wasn't around.  
  
As a matter of fact, he almost had himself believing that he wasn't absolutely mad about her.  
  
Poor dear.  
  
But, anyway, Draco was sitting in his room being a spoilsport and not doing anything interesting. At least, that's what the casual observer would think.  
  
He was actually examining the frame that his mother had given him. He had always found the pattern attractive, but he had never really examined it until now.  
  
As he looked at it he began to notice a sort of map......  
.........which started in his room.......  
.........and ended up in.....?  
  
The temptation was too great for him. He simply had to go looking.  
  
His journey took him through many unknown corridors and past many undiscovered rooms, inluding one that had the most remarkable collection of chamber pots he had ever seen. They would have fetched a large sum were he to sell them and he would have been rather disgruntled that he couldn't were he in any other situation.  
  
At last, he arrived at a small corridor with nothing interesting to look at in it. He was about to turn away, assuming he had gone in the wrong direction, when something caught his eye.  
  
Hanging on the wall was a large and rather peculiar tapestry made of colors that he would never expect to see in actual existence, colors that had never put in an appearance together in his entire Hogwarts career.  
  
You know what colors I'm talking about.  
  
Poor Draco had to stand the confusion of a moving tapestry. This experience made him feel as if he'd had several bottles of butterbeer in the span of perhaps three minutes with very little breathing between bottles.  
  
Unable to control himself, Draco went up to touch this exquisite work of art, only to discover the hidden door. Very proud of himself for having discovered something, he immediately tried to open it. He was met with no protest and the door did exactly as he would have wished; that is, open without a problem.  
  
He was dazzled by the beauty of the room. The magic colors washed over and stunned him. But the colors were nothing compared to what he saw on the couch.  
  
It was her.  
  
She was so beautiful, just sitting there in front of the fire, oblivious to the world. His pseudo-belief that he wasn't crazy about her came crashing down around him with the force of a two-ton truck. Chickening out, as he often did, he began to back out of the room.....until she turned around and saw him.  
  
Hermione jumped up very quickly. She was shocked that anyone could find this room, let alone him. She walked over to him and she almost laughed when she discovered that it was possible for him to be paler that he already was.  
  
But why is he so pale?  
  
She moved close enough to feel his breath on her face.  
  
"Hello, problem," she said with as much confidence as she could find.  
  
Draco was absolutely floored. He was the problem. HE WAS THE PROBLEM!!!!  
  
"If I'm the problem, and you aren't running, does that mean you'd like me to go away?"  
  
"No!"  
  
Gathering some of the fabled Malfoy confidence, he replied coolly, "No, is it then? Well then, very nice to hear.  
  
With that, he leaned in and kissed her, almost timidly at first, but then more so as she responded and kissed her back.  
  
"Very nice to meet you, Hermione Granger," said the gentleman.  
  
She merely responded by kissing him again.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: You like the kiss? Yes, no, maybe so? REVIEW!!!! Sorry its so short...i felt bad for not writing and I wanted to get it out quick. 


	9. Author's Note

Hello all,  
  
I know I haven't updated in a while and that's mostly because I'm incredibly lazy. But, as I'm sure you all know, the development that has taken place in Book Five makes my storyline almost completely null and void (incest isn't really in my bag of tricks). However, I have come to the decision that even if only one more person wants me to continue, I'll take one last stab at the story. Otherwise, I think I may give up[:'(].  
  
Thanks 3 


	10. Author's Note : The Sequel yeah, I know,...

Hello again,  
  
Having received a single review on my story, A Cold Winter's Night, I have decided to make an attempt at finishing it. Unfortunately, I have been suffering from severe writer's block lately and, as such, I have decided to enlist a co-author. So, if any of you out there are interested in co-authoring my fic, leave a review and we'll have a chat to see if we can work together.  
  
Truly yours,  
  
*~*ReinaEntreLeones*~* 


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